How To Cool Down A Hot Car

There’s something truly special about summertime in the South, but it can certainly come with a few challenges — namely, staying cool when the heat and humidity are raging outside. Sometimes, no matter how many preventative measures (sunshades, seat covers, wheel covers…) you take, your car still feels like a furnace after sitting in a parking lot for a few hours. When that’s the case, use these tips to cool your car off quickly and effectively!

1. Fan the Interior

The first thing you’ll want to do is roll down the front passenger and rear passenger windows. Starting in the front, use the door as a fan to push some of the hot air through the car and out through the open window about three times, then repeat this in the rear seat.

2. Turn On the AC

After you’ve removed some of the hot air, close the doors and windows, and turn on the AC system. You’ll want to have the temperature set to the lowest possible setting and the fan/power on high to get as much air moving as possible. At this point, the air outside the car is cooler, so ensure that the recirculate feature is turned off to bring in as much cool air as possible. Keeping the recirculate feature off also ensures that your rear seat cools down quickly, too, which is helpful for any passengers who may be riding with you.

3. Redirect Airflow

If you want to cool things off even quicker, crack the windows a bit and redirect at least some of the airflow to the lower vents by your feet. The cold air will blast down to the floor and shoot back up, forcing all of the hot air at the top (heat rises, remember!) up and out of the cracked windows. This will be most effective if you turn all of the airflow to the lower vents, but if you need to keep the upper vents on to avoid feeling sick from the heat, try to angle them down as much as possible while still staying comfortable.

4. Maintain Cool Air

Once the cabin has cooled off to a satisfactory temperature or cooler than the air outside, switch the air recirculation feature on. Because the air in the cabin is now cooler than the air outside, you’ll want to only use the cool air inside to further cool off and maintain the temperature as you drive.

Score Automatic Climate Control on a New Chevy

If the climate control system in your old car just isn’t cutting it this summer, shop our new Chevy inventory at Walt Massey Chevrolet to find a model with automatic climate control to keep you cool and comfortable this summer!